Psalms 136:26
in Psalms 136Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Oh give thanks unto the God of heaven; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
KJV
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
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This verse in Psalms 136
Commentary
8 notes on this verseO give thanks unto the God of heaven. The title is full of honour. The Lord is God in the highest realms, and among celestial beings. His throne is set in glory, above all, out of reach of foes, in the place of universal oversight. He who feeds ravens and sparrows is yet the glorious God of the highest realms. Angels count it their glory to proclaim his glory in every heavenly street. See herein the greatness of his nature, the depth of his condescension, and the range of his love.
This site's exposition
He remembered us in our low estate
on Psalms 136:23-26
The recital turns to the singers themselves, remembered in their low estate and freed from their enemies. Verse 25 reaches past Israel to every creature, and Spurgeon weighed that feeding beside God's special favour to Israel as equally worth praise. The psalm ends where it began, at give thanks.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Give thanks unto the God of Heaven" [Psalm 136:26]. "Give thanks unto the Lord of lords" [Psalm 136:3]. For what he here says, "the God of Heaven," I suppose that he meant to express in other words what He had before said, "the God of gods." For what there he subjoined, he has here also repeated. "Give thanks unto the Lord of lords." "But to us there is but one God," etc., "and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him;" [1 Corinthians 8:5-6] to whom we confess that "His mercy endureth for ever."
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): Give thanks to the God of heaven. This denotes him to be a glorious God, and the glory of his mercy is to be taken notice of in our praises. The riches of his glory are displayed in the vessels of his mercy, Rom. ix.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. 6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. 7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: 8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: 9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
O give thanks unto the God of heaven,.... the Maker of it, in which the glory of his wisdom and power is displayed; the possessor of it, where he dwells, has his throne, and keeps his court; from whence all blessings, temporal and spiritual, come and where he has prepared glory and happiness for his people hereafter, a house eternal in the heavens, an inheritance reserved there, a better and a more enduring substance; for his mercy endureth for ever; for though the above character is expressive of his sovereignty and dominion, yet he exercises it in a way of grace and mercy to the sons of men; and therefore they have reason to give thanks unto him and praise him for his kindness and favours shown to them on earth.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
O give thanks unto the God of heaven. The title is full of honour. The Lord is God in the highest realms, and among celestial beings. His throne is set in glory, above all, out of reach of foes, in the place of universal oversight. He who feeds ravens and sparrows is yet the glorious God of the highest realms. Angels count it their glory to proclaim his glory in every heavenly street. See herein the greatness of his nature, the depth of his condescension, and the range of his love. Mark the one sole cause of his bounty—For his mercy endureth for ever. He hath done all things from this motive; and because his mercy never ceases, he will continue to multiply deeds of love world without end. Let us with all our powers of heart and tongue give thanks unto the holy name of Jehovah for ever and ever.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
O give thanks unto the God of heaven - The God who reigns in heaven; whose home is heaven. For his mercy ... - In view of all this - of all that he does in heaven and on earth - let praise be ascribed to him. To know the measure of the praise due to him; to see how great is his “mercy,” it would be necessary to know all that he does in heaven and on earth. That will not be known here. It will constitute the theme of contemplation and praise forever and ever. Enough, however, is known here to show the propriety of repeating again, again, and again, as in this psalm, the language, “For his mercy endureth forever;” “For his mercy endureth forever;” “For his mercy endureth forever.”
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ה֭וֹדוּ | hodu | give thanks | H3034 → | 114 times |
| לְאֵ֣ל | leel | to [the] God of | H410 → | 241 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| כִּ֖י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְעוֹלָ֣ם | leolam | [is] for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
| חַסְדּֽוֹ׃ | chasdo | covenant loyalty his | H2617 → | 247 times |
ה֭וֹדוּgive thanks
hoduH3034 →114 times
לְאֵ֣לto [the] God of
leelH410 →241 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
כִּ֖יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לְעוֹלָ֣ם[is] for ever
leolamH5769 →438 times
חַסְדּֽוֹ׃covenant loyalty his
chasdoH2617 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 115:3Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
it leads to
- Psalms 135:6
The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.
- Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain…
- Isaiah 46:10
I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
- Ephesians 1:11
In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
- Psalms 103:19
The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
- Psalms 135:6
Through
Psalms 123:1I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
it leads to
- Psalms 121:1
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
- Psalms 141:8
But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
- Psalms 25:15
My eyes are always on the LORD, for He will free my feet from the mesh.
- Psalms 121:1
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 136; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.